1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a gas wellhead extraction device for extracting additional methane or natural gas, from gas wells, i.e. either at the wellhead or applied “inline” prior to primary compression. More particularly, the present invention pertains to an improved gas wellhead extraction device and fully automated control panel that includes remote monitoring and operational wireless control.
2. The Relevant Technology
Significant gas is produced from coal bed methane and natural gas fields by means of natural free flow. Such flow is at a specific natural pressure and natural flow rate or psi. A gas wellhead extraction device may be utilized to extract additional gas directly from the wellhead, to increase line pressure or move additional gas volume through a gas pipeline versus natural free flow. The ambient air temperatures in such gas fields may exceed 100° F. during the summer, and regress to lower than minus 50° F. during the winter. In such fields, methane and/or natural gas flows twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year. Consequently, the gas wellhead extraction device must be capable of near 100% runtime under all weather conditions. The gas wellhead extraction device must also be cost effective, relatively simple to maintain, and quick and easy to install, limiting gas flow disruption, or downtime during installation.
In addition, each potential customer may have several hundred gas wellhead extraction devices operating in one or more gas fields, making the gas wellhead extraction devices difficult to access in inclement weather conditions. Additionally, it becomes very difficult to visually inspect each gas wellhead extraction device on a daily basis, to assure proper operation, and to verify run time, without significant overhead and overall operational and maintenance costs. It is therefore desirable to adapt fully automated controls to a gas wellhead extraction device, thus allowing the operator to assure proper operation, verify run time, and maintain certain operating parameters from a remote location. It is also desirable to remotely program, update functions, extract data, and view or adjust operating parameters of the gas wellhead extraction device, from a remote location.